Strings Not Being Initialized

[Kevin Baker]

Try this simple code:
Dim sString As String
Dim nLen = sString.Length()

You get an exception. Will that be fixed or do I have to initialize every
string to avoid this risk, like this:

Dim sString As String = ""
Dim nLen = sString.Length()

It would seem that VB would initialize to empty string whereas I imagine
C# might not. Is it a bug or a feature?

[Gregor R. Peisker]

Hi Kevin,

> It would seem that VB would initialize to empty string whereas I imagine
> C# might not. Is it a bug or a feature?

VB initializes the a string to Nothing (System.String is a reference type). I
think that's the right thing to do since it's consistent with other reference
types.

However, things are a little more convenient in VB.NET than in C# in that
comparing a Nothing string and an empty string (using the = and <> operators,
not the Compare method!) returns True.

Gregor

[Bill Storage]

In your example, the VB Len function will tolerate Len(sString). The string
class's .Length function (framework function) requires a valid string
variable.

Bill


"Kevin Baker" <Kevin@KevinJBaker.com> wrote in message
news:3baa13e2$1@news.devx.com...
>
> Try this simple code:
> Dim sString As String
> Dim nLen = sString.Length()
>
> You get an exception. Will that be fixed or do I have to initialize
every
> string to avoid this risk, like this:
>
> Dim sString As String = ""
> Dim nLen = sString.Length()
>
> It would seem that VB would initialize to empty string whereas I imagine
> C# might not. Is it a bug or a feature?

[nick symmonds]

You can access the classic VB6 "len" function in both VB.NET and C# and Python.NET
and COBAL.NET, etc. Use the Microsoft.Visualbasic.Strings namespace. Use
an alias if you do not want to conflict with other namespaces.

Example.

Imports MS = Microsoft.Visualbasic.strings
...

l = MS.Len(sString)


"Bill Storage" <storage@youknow.com> wrote:
>In your example, the VB Len function will tolerate Len(sString). The string
>class's .Length function (framework function) requires a valid string
>variable.
>
>Bill
>
>
>"Kevin Baker" <Kevin@KevinJBaker.com> wrote in message
>news:3baa13e2$1@news.devx.com...
>>
>> Try this simple code:
>> Dim sString As String
>> Dim nLen = sString.Length()
>>
>> You get an exception. Will that be fixed or do I have to initialize
>every
>> string to avoid this risk, like this:
>>
>> Dim sString As String = ""
>> Dim nLen = sString.Length()
>>
>> It would seem that VB would initialize to empty string whereas I imagine
>> C# might not. Is it a bug or a feature?
>
>